On August 14, a day before Gwangbokjeol (August 15), Gyeonggi Province will hold a special screening of the documentary film 1923 Kanto Massacre (directed by Kim Tae-young and Choi Kyu-seok) at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon’s Gwanggyo, for all willing employees.
Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, stated in a briefing on the 13th, "Gyeonggi Province laments the current reality where the Gwangbokjeol commemorative ceremony, which should be a moment to reflect on the restoration of national sovereignty and a venue for national unity, has been split into two. Therefore, we have decided to hold a special screening of the documentary film 1923 Kanto Massacre."
He added, "This film will serve as an opportunity to break the century-long silence surrounding Kanto and revive the meaning of liberation that reclaimed the lost country."
On September 1, 1923, in the chaos and fear following the Great Kanto Earthquake, the Japanese government carried out a massacre of Koreans. Amid discrimination and prejudice, the Japanese government spread false information that Koreans would incite riots, and with frenzied violence, attempted an unprecedented act of racial genocide.
However, the Japanese government has never acknowledged the uncomfortable truth of the Kanto Massacre, and 101 years have passed since then.
Spokesperson Kang said, "Amid the Japanese government’s denial spanning over a century, the documentary film 1923 Kanto Massacre is a desperate attempt to awaken and reveal the truth that has been silenced for more than a hundred years." He added, "On the 14th, Gyeonggi Province will screen 1923 Kanto Massacre at the main auditorium on the first floor of the provincial office, with Governor Kim Dong-yeon in attendance."
The film, narrated by actor Kim Eui-sung, notably includes for the first time photographs of the Kanto Massacre believed to have been taken by Officer George Ross of the British flagship Hawkins, dispatched from China after the Great Kanto Earthquake.
Any provincial office employee wishing to watch the film may do so. Journalists covering the event are also welcome. The screening will begin at 3 p.m. and last for two hours, followed by a 30-minute Q&A session with the director starting at 5 p.m.
Spokesperson Kang noted, "This film has even attracted attention in Japan, having been screened at the House of Councillors in Tokyo. However, under the unwaveringly loyal Yoon Seok-yeol administration, there have been diplomatic disasters such as the controversy over the removal of General Hong Beom-do’s bust from the Military Academy, the tripartite compensation proposal for forced labor, and the humiliating registration of the Sado mine, but no efforts to uncover the truth of the Kanto Massacre?only silence."
Furthermore, he said, "To make matters worse, the appointment of a New Right director at the Independence Hall has caused the Gwangbokjeol events to be divided as well." He added, "Governor Kim Dong-yeon decided to screen 1923 Kanto Massacre at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office as part of efforts to face the current situation and restore a meaningful Gwangbokjeol."
Meanwhile, Governor Kim Dong-yeon sharply stated, "Selling out the country is treason, dividing it into two is espionage, and remaining silent despite knowing about the massacre is pro-Japanese collaboration." He emphasized, "The government must seriously reflect on the saying that a nation that forgets its history has no future."
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